Former Chiefs QB suggests ludicrous trade to replace Rashee Rice

The Kansas City Chiefs made it through the first four games of the 2024 season with an unblemished record, but their roster hasn’t escaped unscathed.

The reigning Super Bowl champions lacked an explosive element to their offense in 2023, and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach attempted to remedy that issue during the offseason. The Chiefs bolstered their wide receiver room by signing veteran Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in free agency and drafting rookie Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Alongside tight end Travis Kelce and second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice, the new additions were expected to elevate Kansas City’s offense. Instead, poor performances and injuries have left the Chiefs in dire straits. Brown suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason that will sideline him for most of the regular season, and running back Isiah Pacheco is in danger of missing the season with his fibula injury.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kelce have both struggled through the first four games of the season.

Kelce has lost a step with age, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has played poorly, often reverting to the sloppy footwork and poor pocket awareness that concerned scouts during his pre-draft process.

Mahomes’ poor start to the season was encapsulated by one particular play during Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Mahomes attempted to squeeze a pass to Kelce, but the ball sailed over Kelce and was intercepted by Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. While Mahomes’ poor accuracy led to the interception, his subsequent tackle attempt resulted in Rice suffering a season-ending knee injury. 

Rice’s injury could prove to be a crippling blow for the reigning Super Bowl champions.  

Former Chiefs QB suggests an unrealistic George Pickens trade to replace Rashee Rice

The dwindling wide receiver depth in Kansas City has caused trade speculation to run rampant. In most instances, the thought of Kansas City acquiring an All-Pro talent is nothing more than a pipe dream.

During Tuesday’s episode of the “Scoop City” podcast with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, former Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel suggested the preposterous idea of Kansas City trading for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens.

“Sort of an underneath-the-rug type [of] guy is George Pickens,” Daniel said. “Is there any chance any of these guys, including George Pickens, makes it to the Chiefs?”

Russini kindly pushed back on the idea that there’s any realistic chance of the Chiefs acquiring Pickens. 

“I don’t think that’s a name that’s getting floated around right now as something that seems obvious, but when you start thinking about how he could fit in the Chiefs offense, it does make a lot of sense,” Russini said. “Do the Pittsburgh Steelers want to do that? That’s the question I can’t get answered. All I can do is read the tea leaves, and make my own observations. I obviously have conversations with people in that building. What’s it going to take? What could they get back in terms of compensation? And they need weapons.”

Pickens has emerged as a budding star since the Steelers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Despite subpar performances from the quarterback position in 2023, Pickens still managed to record 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. 

Pickens has established himself as the clear No. 1 option in Pittsburgh, and there is little depth on the roster behind him. After trading wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, the Steelers were left with few viable receiving threats to line up opposite of Pickens. 

Pittsburgh made several attempts to find a wide receiver who could step into the No. 2 role, and they even made a push to acquire Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers.

If the Steelers traded away Pickens, they’d arguably have the worst wide receiver corps in the league. 

Unfortunately for Kansas City, they’ll likely have to look elsewhere if they want to add to their depleted wide receiver room.

Even if Chiefs general manager Brett Veach managed to find a trade partner, salary cap restrictions could limit the team’s ability to acquire a talented player. Either way, the addition of another wide receiver likely wouldn’t be enough to replace Rice’s production. 

Before his injury, Rice’s 37.2% target share was second only to New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers in the NFL, per ESPN’s Ben Solak. Rice generated first downs or touchdowns on 46.9 percent of his targets, the seventh-best mark of any receiver this season.

Great players typically do not become available for midseason trades, and Kansas City may have trouble finding willing trade partners when every team in the league is desperately attempting to take them down. While the Las Vegas Raiders may trade wide receiver Davante Adams, it’s unlikely they would ever trade him to their AFC West rival. For now, the Chiefs will just have to lean on their defense and hope Kelce can return to being a dominant receiving threat.